A Reply From The Dark
by ninjadevil2000
Summary: Neville goes to visit Frank and Alice at St. Mungo's to tell them about his engagement to Hannah. He gets an unexpected reply.


**Disclaimer: I don't own HP. But I wish I did, so I could comfort sweet Neville. :(**

**Author's Note: Enjoy. Maybe have some tissues handy. :) Please review.**

**Thank you so much to Liz Jean Tonks, my best friend and beta, for reading this and giving me fantastic suggestions.**

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"Hey, Mum," Neville said kindly, walking into the dimly lit room. It was evening and the hospital was quiet; only a few nurses wandered the halls, doing a final check on their patients before the night staff took over. Frank and Alice Longbottom lay in their beds, staring into space. Neville closed the door softly behind him and moved to the edge of his mother's bed. Alice turned her face towards her son, but her eyes remained glossy and unfocused.

Neville smiled sadly as he took his mother's hands in his own. "The nurses say you've been doing well," he said. "They say that one day you and Dad may be able to move out of here and to somewhere a bit nicer."

Alice didn't show any sign of hearing him. Neville looked over at his father. "Hi, Dad," he muttered. "I miss you."

He took a deep breath and looked back at woman across from him. "I'm getting married, Mum. She's really amazing. I think you'll like her. Well," he hesitated. "Well, I hope you like her," he finished sadly. "Her name's Hannah. She's so beautiful. She works here at the hospital actually. She didn't know you and Dad were here until I told her a few months ago. She wanted to come and visit today but she needed to take care of her grandfather. She made me promise though to bring her next time so that she could meet you two.

"She's really strong and smart," Neville continued. As he talked, he fluffed his parents' pillows and brushed his mother's hair. "She's got a great sense of humor too. And she's very pretty. She has blonde hair and brown eyes. Oh! And she's really supportive. Whenever I'm worried about something or confused, she always helps me sort it out. I can't wait for her to meet you. I hope you like her."

Neville continued to speak as he moved around the room, dusting off the nearby desk and replacing the old flowers in the vases with bright new ones.

"Anyways, she's a healer here at St. Mungo's, like I said. She works down in the emergency department. That's where we met actually. I mean, we met at Hogwarts, but we lost touch after school and everything. Then we met again here. I guess I've told you that already," Neville finished with a shrug.

He finished folding up a blanket and sat back down next to Alice. She had moved her eyes to the nearby window from where a chink of moonlight streamed in, and she hummed lightly, a tune Neville couldn't interpret.

Neville continued to tell her of his and Hannah's wedding plans: all about the plans and the reception ideas; where he wanted to take Hannah on their honeymoon; what his thoughts were on his and Hannah's future.

He sat next to his father for a while too, wishing he could ask his advice on how to be a good man and a good husband.

As the hours passed, Neville's voice grew hoarse but his eyes were still bright as he continued on about Hannah. He knew that some of the things he was saying were things he had undoubtedly said before when he had visited previously, but it felt nice to talk to his parents, even though he was sure they couldn't understand him. He hoped they did, but that hope had grown less and less strong over the years.

As the room grew darker, Neville lit a nearby lamp and looked down at his watch.

"I'm sorry, Mum, Dad," he said. "But I better go. It's almost dinnertime and I need to make it for Hannah since she's been gone all day. I love you guys." He took his mother's hand again and kissed it before tucking her hair behind her ear. He squeezed his father's shoulder reassuringly, promising to come back again soon.

Straightening his parents' sheets and pillows one last time before leaving, Neville finally turned and swung his cloak around his shoulders. He started to move towards the door, but suddenly, taking him by surprise, a soft hand touched his own.

Spinning around, Neville saw that his mother was halfway out of bed. "Mum?" Neville said quietly. He stepped back and gently pushed her back against her pillows. "What is it, Mum?"

She held her hand out, fist clenched. Neville smiled. She was giving him another candy wrapper. He held his own hand out to receive the wrapper. but when Alice opened her hand to let whatever it was fall into Neville's, it wasn't a gum wrapper. It was heavy.

Looking down, Neville saw a slim silver band laying in his palm with a bright diamond upon it, gleaming in the moonlight. He looked up quickly, tears pooling in his eyes.

Alice was looking at him but her eyes were still distant. Her smile, though, was wider than Neville had seen before, and her face glowed. He took his mother's hand again and looked at it for confirmation, and he saw that, where his mother's wedding ring had rested for as long as he could remember, there was now only a small indent on her slim finger.

His eyes flicked back to his mother, tears falling slowly from his eyes. "Thank you, Mum," he whispered shakily. He scooted forward and wrapped her in a gently hug. "Thank you."

Alice didn't reply, only continuing to hum. And as Neville listened, closer this time, he realized what song it was.

The wedding march.

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**A/N: So I have a very sad headcanon and that is that Alice and Frank can hear what's happening around them and what Neville's saying. That's why in this story, Alice is bringing herself out of that and using all her strength and move and smile at her son. I hope you liked. Reviews are appreciated. **


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